@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ class Git(LazyMixin):
         Set its value to 'full' to see details about the returned values.
     """
     __slots__ = ("_working_dir", "cat_file_all", "cat_file_header", "_version_info",
-                 "_git_options", "_environment")
+                 "_git_options", "_persistent_git_options", "_environment")
 
     _excluded_ = ('cat_file_all', 'cat_file_header', '_version_info')
 
@@ -405,6 +405,7 @@ def __init__(self, working_dir=None):
         super(Git, self).__init__()
         self._working_dir = working_dir
         self._git_options = ()
+        self._persistent_git_options = []
 
         # Extra environment variables to pass to git commands
         self._environment = {}
@@ -421,6 +422,20 @@ def __getattr__(self, name):
             return LazyMixin.__getattr__(self, name)
         return lambda *args, **kwargs: self._call_process(name, *args, **kwargs)
 
+    def set_persistent_git_options(self, **kwargs):
+        """Specify command line options to the git executable
+        for subsequent subcommand calls
+
+        :param kwargs:
+            is a dict of keyword arguments.
+            these arguments are passed as in _call_process
+            but will be passed to the git command rather than
+            the subcommand.
+        """
+
+        self._persistent_git_options = self.transform_kwargs(
+            split_single_char_options=True, **kwargs)
+
     def _set_cache_(self, attr):
         if attr == '_version_info':
             # We only use the first 4 numbers, as everthing else could be strings in fact (on windows)
@@ -839,7 +854,10 @@ def _call_process(self, method, *args, **kwargs):
 
         call = [self.GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE]
 
-        # add the git options, the reset to empty
+        # add persistent git options
+        call.extend(self._persistent_git_options)
+
+        # add the git options, then reset to empty
         # to avoid side_effects
         call.extend(self._git_options)
         self._git_options = ()
 
@@ -30,10 +30,9 @@
 from git.refs import HEAD, Head, Reference, TagReference
 from git.remote import Remote, add_progress, to_progress_instance
 from git.util import Actor, finalize_process, decygpath, hex_to_bin
-
 import os.path as osp
 
-from .fun import rev_parse, is_git_dir, find_git_dir, touch
+from .fun import rev_parse, is_git_dir, find_submodule_git_dir, touch
 
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@
 
 
 def _expand_path(p):
-    return osp.abspath(osp.expandvars(osp.expanduser(p)))
+    return osp.normpath(osp.abspath(osp.expandvars(osp.expanduser(p))))
 
 
 class Repo(object):
@@ -69,6 +68,11 @@ class Repo(object):
     'git_dir' is the .git repository directory, which is always set."""
     DAEMON_EXPORT_FILE = 'git-daemon-export-ok'
 
+    git = None  # Must exist, or  __del__  will fail in case we raise on `__init__()`
+    working_dir = None
+    _working_tree_dir = None
+    git_dir = None
+
     # precompiled regex
     re_whitespace = re.compile(r'\s+')
     re_hexsha_only = re.compile('^[0-9A-Fa-f]{40}$')
@@ -95,8 +99,9 @@ def __init__(self, path=None, odbt=DefaultDBType, search_parent_directories=Fals
                 repo = Repo("~/Development/git-python.git")
                 repo = Repo("$REPOSITORIES/Development/git-python.git")
 
-            In *Cygwin*, path may be a `'cygdrive/...'` prefixed path.
-
+            - In *Cygwin*, path may be a `'cygdrive/...'` prefixed path.
+            - If `None, current-directory is used.
+            - The :envvar:`GIT_DIR` if set and not empty takes precendance over this parameter.
         :param odbt:
             Object DataBase type - a type which is constructed by providing
             the directory containing the database objects, i.e. .git/objects. It will
@@ -109,40 +114,39 @@ def __init__(self, path=None, odbt=DefaultDBType, search_parent_directories=Fals
         :raise InvalidGitRepositoryError:
         :raise NoSuchPathError:
         :return: git.Repo """
+        epath = os.getenv('GIT_DIR') or path or os.getcwd()
         if Git.is_cygwin():
-            path = decygpath(path)
-
-        epath = _expand_path(path or os.getcwd())
-        self.git = None  # should be set for __del__ not to fail in case we raise
-        if not osp.exists(epath):
+            epath = decygpath(epath)
+        epath = _expand_path(epath or path or os.getcwd())
+        if not os.path.exists(epath):
             raise NoSuchPathError(epath)
 
-        self.working_dir = None
-        self._working_tree_dir = None
-        self.git_dir = None
-        curpath = os.getenv('GIT_DIR', epath)
-
-        # walk up the path to find the .git dir
+        ## Walk up the path to find the `.git` dir.
+        #
+        curpath = epath
         while curpath:
             # ABOUT osp.NORMPATH
             # It's important to normalize the paths, as submodules will otherwise initialize their
             # repo instances with paths that depend on path-portions that will not exist after being
             # removed. It's just cleaner.
             if is_git_dir(curpath):
-                self.git_dir = osp.normpath(curpath)
-                self._working_tree_dir = osp.dirname(self.git_dir)
+                self.git_dir = curpath
+                self._working_tree_dir = os.path.dirname(self.git_dir)
                 break
 
-            gitpath = find_git_dir(osp.join(curpath, '.git'))
-            if gitpath is not None:
-                self.git_dir = osp.normpath(gitpath)
+            sm_gitpath = find_submodule_git_dir(osp.join(curpath, '.git'))
+            if sm_gitpath is not None:
+                self.git_dir = osp.normpath(sm_gitpath)
+            sm_gitpath = find_submodule_git_dir(osp.join(curpath, '.git'))
+            if sm_gitpath is not None:
+                self.git_dir = _expand_path(sm_gitpath)
                 self._working_tree_dir = curpath
                 break
 
             if not search_parent_directories:
                 break
-            curpath, dummy = osp.split(curpath)
-            if not dummy:
+            curpath, tail = osp.split(curpath)
+            if not tail:
                 break
         # END while curpath
 
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 from git.cmd import Git
 
 
-__all__ = ('rev_parse', 'is_git_dir', 'touch', 'find_git_dir', 'name_to_object', 'short_to_long', 'deref_tag',
+__all__ = ('rev_parse', 'is_git_dir', 'touch', 'find_submodule_git_dir', 'name_to_object', 'short_to_long', 'deref_tag',
            'to_commit')
 
 
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ def is_git_dir(d):
     return False
 
 
-def find_git_dir(d):
+def find_submodule_git_dir(d):
+    """Search for a submodule repo."""
     if is_git_dir(d):
         return d
 
@@ -60,12 +61,13 @@ def find_git_dir(d):
     else:
         if content.startswith('gitdir: '):
             path = content[8:]
+
             if Git.is_cygwin():
                 ## Cygwin creates submodules prefixed with `/cygdrive/...` suffixes.
                 path = decygpath(path)
             if not osp.isabs(path):
                 path = osp.join(osp.dirname(d), path)
-            return find_git_dir(path)
+            return find_submodule_git_dir(path)
     # end handle exception
     return None
 
 
@@ -162,6 +162,20 @@ def test_options_are_passed_to_git(self):
         git_command_version = self.git.version()
         self.assertEquals(git_version, git_command_version)
 
+    def test_persistent_options(self):
+        git_command_version = self.git.version()
+        # analog to test_options_are_passed_to_git
+        self.git.set_persistent_git_options(version=True)
+        git_version = self.git.NoOp()
+        self.assertEquals(git_version, git_command_version)
+        # subsequent calls keep this option:
+        git_version_2 = self.git.NoOp()
+        self.assertEquals(git_version_2, git_command_version)
+
+        # reset to empty:
+        self.git.set_persistent_git_options()
+        self.assertRaises(GitCommandError, self.git.NoOp)
+
     def test_single_char_git_options_are_passed_to_git(self):
         input_value = 'TestValue'
         output_value = self.git(c='user.name=%s' % input_value).config('--get', 'user.name')
 
@@ -7,34 +7,24 @@
 
 import git
 from git.cmd import Git
-from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
-    is_win,
-)
+from git.compat import string_types, is_win
 from git.exc import (
     InvalidGitRepositoryError,
     RepositoryDirtyError
 )
 from git.objects.submodule.base import Submodule
-from git.objects.submodule.root import (
-    RootModule,
-    RootUpdateProgress,
-)
+from git.objects.submodule.root import RootModule, RootUpdateProgress
 from git.repo.fun import (
-    find_git_dir,
-    touch,
+    find_submodule_git_dir,
+    touch
 )
 from git.test.lib import (
     TestBase,
-    with_rw_repo,
+    with_rw_repo
 )
 from git.test.lib import with_rw_directory
-from git.util import (
-    to_native_path_linux,
-    join_path_native,
-    HIDE_WINDOWS_KNOWN_ERRORS,
-)
-
+from git.util import HIDE_WINDOWS_KNOWN_ERRORS
+from git.util import to_native_path_linux, join_path_native
 import os.path as osp
 
 
@@ -775,7 +765,7 @@ def assert_exists(sm, value=True):
         else:
             assert osp.isfile(module_repo_path)
             assert sm.module().has_separate_working_tree()
-            assert find_git_dir(module_repo_path) is not None, "module pointed to by .git file must be valid"
+            assert find_submodule_git_dir(module_repo_path) is not None, "module pointed to by .git file must be valid"
         # end verify submodule 'style'
 
         # test move